Steps

• To make the Caggionett Teramani, it takes two days because the filling, as well as the dough, must rest in the fridge.

• So plan your time, and making them will be easier.

• Let’s start with the chestnut-based filling. As I mentioned in the premise, there are three types of stuffing for “caggionetti” from Abruzzo.

• In the province of Teramo, mine, the main ingredient of the filling is the chestnut, more precisely Marroni.

• Chieti and Pescara stuff them with chickpeas, while in L’Aquila, they also use scrucchiata, or Montepulciano grape jam.

• Today we will prepare the Teramo version, so first, we must cut all the chestnuts and remove the shell because they will be boiled.

  

• This is what the traditional recipe requires, so no chestnuts baked in the oven, on the grill, or in a pan, only boiled.

• Arm yourself with patience because this is the most tedious part! Once you have removed the shell from all the chestnuts, they should be placed in a high-sided pot filled with cold water.

• In the meantime, get a head start by peeling the almonds and toasting them in the oven (340°F static until golden) or in a pan. Then you will need to finely chop them in the mixer.

• Bring the chestnuts to a medium flame, once boiling, calculate about 20-25 minutes. The cooking time also varies depending on the size of the chestnuts.

  

• Checking their cooking is very simple, just pierce them with a toothpick, and if they are soft, they’re ready!

• At that point, another slightly annoying step will follow!

• Drain the chestnuts but set aside a couple of glasses of cooking water, I’ll explain why later!

• We must peel the chestnuts immediately while they are still hot; otherwise, if you let them cool, you won’t be able to peel them anymore!

• I’ve lost sensitivity in my fingertips (just kidding!) and do it bare-handed! If you prefer, protect your fingers with gloves, and if possible, get help from someone; it will be much faster.

• Once all the chestnuts are peeled, you will need to reduce them to a puree using a sieve or a food mill.

  

• Actually, this step is also a bit annoying because it requires some arm strength, but believe me, it’s worth it!

• Inside the food mill, you will need to add only a few chestnuts at a time; otherwise, you won’t be able to work them well.

• For convenience, place the sieve over a nice large bowl so that the “flour”-like chestnuts fall directly into it.

  

• Once you’ve sieved all the chestnuts, preparing the filling will be very quick.

• In a large container, add the peeled, toasted, and chopped almonds, the chopped dark chocolate with a knife or in a mixer, and the chestnut puree.

  

• Then add the sugar (I used half sugar and half honey, but all sugar is fine too) and the candied citron cut into very small cubes (I didn’t use it because no one at home likes it, but the original recipe includes it).

  

• Grate in the lemon peel, orange peel (make sure they are organic and always wash them well) and add the cinnamon powder.

• Usually, when I write my recipes, I always leave the possibility of substituting the ingredients I use, but in this case, I won’t because it wouldn’t make sense.

• This is a traditional recipe, an ancient recipe that if you want to try, you must follow to the letter; otherwise, the result is not the same!

• Finally, pour the previously made unsweetened coffee, the Rum, and the chestnut cooking water.

  

• At this point, start mixing, first with a spoon and then directly with your hands because you need to obtain a soft and creamy homogeneous mixture.

• Some use a chopper or food processor to chop everything together, but this is recommended only if you are making a reduced dose; otherwise, it won’t all fit in the mixer!!

• Once you have mixed well, you can cover the filling with cling film and let it rest overnight in the fridge.

• However, I recommend tasting it to check the level of sweetness and adjust if necessary!

• If the filling is too dry or too soft, read my tips at the bottom.

• Here too, there are at least two, or maybe even three, versions for preparing the dough, but the original one is this and involves using only 3 ingredients: oil, flour, and wine, NO EGGS, and no water.

• Let’s proceed by pouring the flour into a bowl, then olive oil and dry white wine. Mix with your hands first in the bowl and then turning everything onto a pastry board.

  

• Work until you get a nice soft dough that is not sticky but still elastic. Cover with cling film or place in an airtight container and let it rest in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

  

• If you decide to prepare the dough together with the filling, you can leave it in the fridge all night and proceed the next day.

• In case you keep it in the fridge for an entire night, the next day, before starting, take out the dough and let it reach room temperature, about an hour.

• Do I have to let the dough rest? Yes! If you want the Abruzzo caviciuni to be full of bubbles and have a fragrant pastry, the dough must rest.

• I personally tested frying the calcionetti immediately without letting the pastry rest, and the result was not what you see in the photos. Very few bubbles, and the pastry didn’t puff well. So, remember, NECESSARY REST 😉

• At this point, things get more and more interesting!

• We need to roll out the pastry with the help of the pasta machine or a dough roller if you have one, or this is only recommended if you are really skilled, you can roll it by hand with a rolling pin.

• Then take the dough, cut it into slices for convenience, and cover them with a cloth so they don’t dry out.

• Roll out the first slice with a rolling pin just to thin it a bit, then pass it through the pasta machine (start with the larger numbers and move to number 2 or even number 1).

  

• To prevent the dough from sticking to the machine’s rollers, dust the dough with a thin layer of flour.

• To be considered perfect, the pastry of the Abruzzo caggiunitt must be so thin that it is practically transparent.

• Spread some kitchen towels on a table, preferably white linen, where you will place the sheets as you pass them through the machine.

• One recommendation, make sure the towel (which in our dialect we call sparone) does not have a detergent smell, or it will be absorbed by the sweets.

• It’s not necessary to dust the sheets with flour once passed through the roller; just lay them on the clean and dry cloth.

• Continue rolling all the sheets until the dough is finished.

• At this point, take the bowl with the filling, which you will have taken out of the fridge to settle (about 30 minutes before proceeding with filling).

• With the help of two teaspoons, scoop some filling and make many heaps along the sheet, spacing them apart so you can then close the sheet and form the ravioli.

  

• The caggionetti are good if they are well stuffed but don’t overdo it! Not too little, not too much! Judge by eye!

• Once you’ve made all these heaps of filling, moisten the sheet along the entire perimeter with a little water, without overdoing it.

• Water is essential; it will act as a glue when closing the sheet and will prevent the ravioli from opening during cooking. Now lift the sheet and fold it over itself.

• Here you need to pay maximum attention to NOT do one thing: you must not, as you do when making ravioli, eliminate the air that forms when you close the sheet.

• When making ravioli, as my mother taught me, to eliminate air, you push with your index finger between one ravioli and another to let the air out.

• In this case, you must absolutely not do it, otherwise, the calgionetti won’t puff up during cooking. So remember, don’t touch the sheet if you see it puffing up!

• Once closed, you will need to form your chestnut ravioli! You need a pasta cutter, more precisely, a ravioli cutter, and once cut, leave them on the kitchen towels. Do not cover them because the weight of the cloth might deflate them.

• Another important thing: the cut with the pasta cutter must be done necessarily on the side where the sheet joins and not on the other (see photo)

  

• Continue in the same exact way until you roll out all the sheets, fill them, then close them, and then cut them with the pasta cutter.

  

• Once finished, you can admire a wonderful sight in front of you! Dozens and dozens of splendid caggiunitt waiting to be fried to bloom at the height of their beauty!

  

• So take a pan and pour a generous amount of seed oil inside.
  Advice, as with all types of frying, is to use small, high-sided pans. Insert only a few pieces inside so you can better control the cooking.

• Another distinctive element of a perfect calcionetto is the light color of the pastry, so you can see the filling inside.

• That indicates that the frying has been done to perfection! If they are too dark, they have been cooked too much, or the oil was dirty and not changed often.

• Also, as I have already specified other times, to ensure the frying is perfect, you need to respect these simple but precious tips!

• The first general rule is that the temperature of the oil should be between 320°F and 356°F before you can immerse the food inside.

• In the past, there were no practical tools like we have today, and people relied on experience.

• In the case of frying, a small piece of dough (or a bit of bread crumb or a toothpick) was inserted into the hot oil, and if it sizzled, it meant it was ready!

• Today, fortunately, we can use more professional tools with which it’s really hard to go wrong, such as the food thermometer.

• If you have one at home, use it, and when the temperature reaches 340°F, you can fry!

• Not less important is the quality and quantity of oil used for frying.
  Regarding the type of oil, it’s preferable to use peanut oil for lighter frying.

• Regarding the amount of oil to use, the only thing to remember is ABUNDANCE! Better too much than too little 😉

• At this point, once the temperature is reached, immerse a few pieces inside and let them fry without touching.

  

• When they rise to the surface and you see them full of bubbles, they are ready to be taken out.

• They must stay light, so as soon as you see them start to slightly color, remove them immediately and place them on absorbent paper to dry all the oil.

• Proceed in the same manner until they are all fried, changing the oil when necessary.

• A clever tip to immerse the caggiunitt all together without splashing oil: take the skimmer and place the ravioli inside until the surface is covered (always remember not to overdo the number of ravioli to cook at once).

• Immerse the skimmer in the hot oil, letting the ravioli slide inside, and then remove it. This way, it will be faster, and you won’t risk burning yourself or breaking the caggionetti when taking them.

• Once cooking is finished, the effort made so far will be amply rewarded by the sense of happiness, pride, and emotion you will feel when looking at the masterpiece you’ve created!

  

• Wonderful pillows of crumbly pastry, light, transparent, and full of bubbles that inside show a generous filling, with an enveloping taste and aromatic scent.

  

• Once ready, the caggiunett can be decorated in two ways, the most traditional one involves using granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon powder sprinkled on the sweets.

• Others, but apparently, it would be more of a modern custom, use icing sugar. That’s why in the photo, in the background, I included a small sample of cavicioni with icing sugar! This way, we make everyone happy!

• I hope you enjoyed this long, complex, ancient, and special Abruzzo recipe. This is my family’s version.

• Everyone has their own secrets, variations, habits, passed down for generations. Let’s learn to accept and respect this aspect of ancient recipes.

• The recipes passed down in families represent a precious box of teachings that instead of ending up forgotten, continue their journey with much love, toward future generations.

• I hope I made you want to try making this really delicious Abruzzo dessert! If you need any advice, feel free to leave a comment; I’ll be happy to help you.

• Please, let me know if you try them, and if you make these sweets with another version, I would be glad to read yours in the comments to try it maybe on another occasion.

• Come back to visit soon! Until next time and happy holidays!

• Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All Rights Reserved

• P.s. Of course, you can halve or double the dose depending on your needs.